Luggage Mountable Hand Truck
A luggage mountable hand truck, which provides a user with enhanced cargo transportation capabilities, is provided with a collapsible design. The collapsible design allows the profile of the luggage mountable hand truck to be drastically reduced when not in use. The apparatus utilizes a pair of telescoping legs which allows the overall height of the apparatus to be altered. The luggage mountable hand truck can be used in two distinct modes, either as a standalone hand truck, or attached to an luggage item which already has some sort of wheel mechanism. Attachment to the luggage item is achieved through several straps which are wrapped around the luggage item; vertical support is provided by a base plate which contacts the top of the luggage item while a base plate allows objects to be stacked onto the luggage mountable hand truck for easy transportation by the user.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/932,413 filed on Jan. 28, 2014.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to object transportation hand trucks. More specifically, the present invention is a hand truck which can be utilized individually as a hand truck, or can be mounted to a piece of luggage to supplement the object transportation capabilities of that piece of luggage. The present invention is also capable of folding down to decrease its profile and make it easier to transport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe modern world is globalized and connected in a way which has never been accomplished before. As a result of this fact, companies, families, and friends can be spread out across entire countries or even across the entire world. Companies may maintain branches in various parts of a country or even in different countries in order to facilitate manufacture and distribution of their products. Families and friends often spread out across a country in pursuit of jobs, careers, and personal goals. Modern communications and information exchange technologies such as telephones and the internet allow for various branches of a company and friends and family to keep in touch with one another despite vast distances between them. However, despite the effectiveness of modern communications and information exchange, it is often beneficial or desired for face to face meetings to take place. This is particularly true with friends and family. Resultantly, there is a massive travel network in the modern world which enables people to relocate themselves from one position to another, and then back again.
The modern travel network operates using a plurality of different transportation means including ground vehicles, air vehicles, and marine vehicles. Ground vehicles such as cars and trucks are often privately owned and utilized for personal transport for going relatively short distances. Air vehicles such as commercial airliners are typically owned and operated by companies and are typically used for very long range travel. Marine vehicles are also typically commercially owned and are usually used for bulk goods transport, or for large scale passenger transport. Regardless of the mode of transportation, a person who is travelling to some location for a temporary visit typically needs to bring along some vital personal affects. Such vital personal affects typically include, but are not limited to clothing, personal computers, personal communications devices, and personal hygiene products. Typically, such vital personal effects are transported in storage bags specialized for travelling which are colloquially known as luggage bags. There is an extremely wide range of luggage bags which vary in both size and functional capabilities. For example, some luggage bags are small and simple with only a few storage compartments secured by zippers and some handles or a shoulder strap to carry the bag. Other luggage bags are large rectangular bags which have built in wheels and an extendable handle to allow a user to easily roll the bag behind them. Such rolling luggage bags are often utilized by those who travel by airplane as the bags are easy to roll through large modern airports.
The amount of luggage which one traveler takes with them may vary greatly depending on a number of factors including how long the traveler intends to stay at their destination, and the purpose of their visit. Often, lone travelers may have multiple luggage bags which they must carry with them; this can become increasingly difficult as the number of bags increases. One or two bags is very easy to manage, particularly if one bag is small and can be carried in conjunction with another luggage bag; this is often the case with small bags known as carry-ons which are common in flight travel. Exceeding this number may cause great difficulty for the traveler, often requiring them to seek assistance, or find transport carts in order to move all of their luggage. Unfortunately, assistance can be unreliable, and transport carts can sometimes be difficult to find even in airports, or may require the traveler to pay some fee as collateral with a portion being returned when the cart is returned. It is clear that there is a need for an apparatus which can eliminate the shortcomings mentioned above while still allowing the user to mobilize a large number of luggage bags with ease.
It is resultantly the object of the present invention to introduce a luggage mountable hand truck. It is a further object of the present invention to improve greatly upon currently existing hand truck designs by providing a unique set of functionality which is specifically tailored to travelling and interfacing with luggage bags. It is an object of the present invention to provide functionality which allows the present invention to be attached to a luggage bag to effectively allow that luggage bag to carry other luggage bags without any manual intervention from the user. The present invention is also capable of folding down or collapsing such that its profile is greatly reduced. This allows the present invention to be transported with great ease.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a luggage mountable hand truck, as can be observed in
The present invention comprises a left telescoping leg 1, a right telescoping leg 2, a stabilizing bar 5, a handle 6, a back plate assembly 7, and a base plate assembly 8. The left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 are oriented parallel relative to one another, as can be observed in
The handle 6 is also connected in between the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2, as can be observed in
The back plate assembly 7 comprises a back plate 71, a left plate mount 73, and a right plate mount 74. The left plate mount 73 is attached to the left telescoping leg 1 while the right plate mount 74 is attached to the right telescoping leg 2 as can be observed in
The base plate assembly 8 comprises a base plate 81, a left base mount 83, and a right base mount 84. The left base mount 83 is connected to the left telescoping leg 1, while the right base mount 84 is connected to the right telescoping leg 2. The left base mount 83 and the right base mount 84 are connected at one end of the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 respectively, as can be observed in
The left base mount 83 is positioned opposite to the handle 6 along the left telescoping leg 1, as can be observed in
The left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 of the present invention each comprise an upper section 11 and a lower section 21. Each upper section 11 further comprises an upper pin hole 12 and a back stop 13. The upper pin hole 12 traverses perpendicularly through the upper section 11. The upper pin hole 12 is also aligned parallel to the handle 6. The upper pin hole 12 is present to allow some pin component to traverse through the upper section 11. The exact dimensions and positioning of the upper pin hole 12 are subject to change in the final embodiment of the present invention. The back stop 13 is positioned perpendicularly to the upper section 11, and is also adjacent to the back plate 71, as can be observed in
The lower section 21 of the present invention further comprises a central channel 22 and a plurality of lower pin holes 23. The central channel 22 traverses partially into the lower section 21. The cross sectional shape of the central channel 22 matches the cross sectional shape of the upper section 11, thereby facilitating the insertion of the upper section 11 into the lower section 21. Some distance of the upper section 11 and the lower section 21 overlaps when the present invention is fully assembled. This overlap distance can be altered, thus altering the overall length of the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2. As the upper section 11 of both the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 are joined together by the handle 6, the overlap distance within the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 is identical between both. Therefore, when the total length of the left telescoping leg 1 is altered, the length of the right telescoping leg 2 is also altered by the exact same amount, and vice versa. The plurality of lower pin holes 23 traverses entirely through the lower section 21 and the central channel 22. The plurality of lower pin holes 23 is aligned perpendicular to lower section 21 and parallel to the stabilizing bar 5. Thus, the plurality of lower pin holes 23 is aligned parallel to the upper pin hole 12 when the upper section 11 is inserted into the central channel 22, as can be observed in
The upper section 11 traverses into the central channel 22 found on the lower section 21. The end of the upper section 11 which is closer to the upper pin hole 12 is the end which is inserted into the central channel 22. The insertion of the upper section 11 into the lower section 21 allows the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 to be completely assembled, as can be observed in
The luggage mountable hand truck further comprises a left adjustment pin 3 in order to facilitate locking of the length of the left telescoping leg 1. The luggage mountable hand truck also comprises a right adjustment pin 4 which facilitates locking of the length of the right telescoping leg 2. The left adjustment pin 3 is positioned into the desired lower pin hole and the upper pin hole 12 of the left telescoping leg 1. The interface between these three components results in the upper section 11 and the lower section 21 of the left leg being fixed in position relative to one another. This results in the locking of the length of the left telescoping leg 1. The right adjustment pin 4 is positioned into the desired lower pin hole and the upper pin hole 12 of the right telescoping leg 2. The interface between these three components results in the upper section 11 and the lower section 21 of the right leg to be fixed in position relative to one another. This results in the locking of the length of the right telescoping leg 2. The left adjustment pin 3 and the right adjustment pin 4 can be removed from the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 at any time; this allows for adjustment of the length of the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2, once the left adjustment pin 3 and the right adjustment pin 4 are reinserted into the corresponding pin holes, the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 are once again locked at a specific length.
The left wheel assembly 9 and the right wheel assembly 10 of the present invention each comprise a wheel 91 and a wheel mount 92. The wheel is rotatably connected into the wheel mount 92. This allows the wheel 91 to rotate freely about one axis relative to the wheel mount 92. The wheel 91 is positioned adjacent to the base plate 81, as can be observed in
A collapsed configuration of the present invention exists wherein the back plate 71 is positioned parallel to the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 as can be observed in
A functional configuration of the present invention exists wherein the back plate 71 is in a functional position. The back plate assembly 7 again comprises the back locking assembly 72, the left back pin 75, and the right back pin 76. The left plate mount 73 is attached to the left telescoping leg 1 by way of the left back pin 75. The right plate mount 74 is attached to the left telescoping leg 1 by way of the right back pin 76. Again, the left back pin 75 and the right back pin 76 allow the back plate assembly 7 to be completely removed from the rest of the present invention when necessary. The back locking assembly 72 is disengaged from the back plate 71 in the functional configuration of the present invention. Furthermore, the back plate 71 is aligned perpendicular to the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2. This positioning can be observed in
The functional configuration of the present invention exists wherein the base plate 81 is in a functional position. The base plate assembly 8 further comprises a base locking mechanism 82. The base locking mechanism 82 is mechanically integrated into the hinged connection between the base plate 81, the left base mount 83, and the right base mount 84. The base plate 81 is oriented to be perpendicular to the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 as can be observed in
The collapsed configuration of the present invention exists wherein the base plate 81 is in a collapsed position. The base plate assembly 8 again further comprises the base locking mechanism 82. The base locking mechanism 82 is mechanically integrated into the hinged connection between the base plate 81, the left base mount 83, and the right base mount 84. The base plate 81 is oriented to be adjacent and parallel to the left telescoping leg 1 and the right telescoping leg 2 as can be observed in
A plurality of adjustable straps 93 of the present invention exist where each of the plurality of adjustable straps 93 comprises a left strap 94, a right strap 95, and a locking mechanism 96. The left strap 94 is attached to the left telescoping leg 1, and the right strap 95 is attached to the right telescoping leg 2. The left strap 94 and the right strap 95 are selectively coupled to each other by the locking mechanism 96, thereby forming a closed loop. Referencing
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims
1. A luggage mountable hand truck comprises:
- a left telescoping leg;
- a right telescoping leg;
- a stabilizing bar;
- a handle;
- a back plate assembly;
- a base plate assembly;
- a plurality of adjustable straps;
- the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg being parallel and offset from each other;
- the stabilizing bar being perpendicularly connected in between the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg;
- the handle being perpendicularly connected in between the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg;
- the back plate assembly comprises a back plate, a left plate mount, and a right plate mount;
- the left plate mount being attached to the left telescoping leg;
- the right plate mount being attached to the right telescoping leg;
- the back plate hingedly connected to both the left plate mount and the right plate mount;
- the base plate assembly comprises a base plate, a left base mount, and a right base mount;
- the left base mount being connected to the left telescoping leg;
- the right base mount being connected to the right telescoping leg; and
- the base plate being hingedly connected to both the left base mount and the right base mount.
2. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- the left base mount and the handle being positioned opposite of each other along the left telescoping leg;
- the stabilizing bar being positioned in between the left base mount and the handle;
- the left back plate mount being positioned in between the handle and the stabilizing bar;
3. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- the right base mount and the handle being positioned opposite of each other along the right telescoping leg;
- the stabilizing bar being positioned in between the right base mount and the handle; and
- the right back plate mount being positioned in between the handle and the stabilizing bar.
4. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg each comprise an upper section, and a lower section;
- the upper section comprises an upper pin hole and a back stop;
- the lower section comprises a central channel, and a plurality of lower pin holes;
- the upper pin hole traversing perpendicularly through the upper section;
- the upper pin hole being aligned parallel to the handle;
- the back stop being positioned perpendicularly to the upper section, and adjacent to the back plate;
- the upper pin hole being offset from the back stop along the upper section;
- the central channel traversing into the lower section;
- the central channel being positioned along the lower section;
- the plurality of lower pin holes traversing through the lower section parallel to the stabilizing bar;
- the plurality of lower pin holes traversing through the lower section and the central channel;
- the plurality of lower pin holes being evenly distributed along the central channel;
- the upper section traversing into the central channel of the lower section; and
- a desired lower pin hole from the plurality of lower pin holes being aligned concentrically with the upper pin hole.
5. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 4 comprises:
- a left adjustment pin; and
- the left adjustment pin being positioned into the desired lower pin hole and the upper pin hole of the left telescoping leg.
6. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 4 comprises:
- a right adjustment pin; and
- the right adjustment pin being positioned into the desired lower pin hole and the upper pin hole of the left telescoping leg.
7. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- the left wheel assembly and the right wheel assembly each comprise a wheel and a wheel mount;
- the wheel rotatably mounted into the wheel mount;
- the wheel being positioned adjacent to the base plate;
- the wheel mount of the left wheel assembly being attached to the left base mount; and
- the wheel mount of the right wheel assembly being attached to the right base mount.
8. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- wherein the back plate is in a collapsed configuration;
- the back plate assembly further comprises a back locking assembly, a left back pin, and a right back pin;
- the left plate mount and the right plate mount being releasably engaged with the back plate by the locking assembly; and
- the back plate being adjacent and parallel to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg.
9. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- wherein the back plate is in a functional configuration;
- the back plate assembly further comprises a back locking assembly, a left back pin, and a right back pin;
- the back locking assembly being disengaged from the back plate;
- the back plate being perpendicular to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg; and
- the back plate being pressed against the back stop.
10. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- wherein the base plate is in a functional configuration;
- the base plate assembly further comprises a base locking mechanism;
- the base locking mechanism being mechanically integrated into the hinged connection between the base plate and the left base mount and the right base mount; and
- the base plate being perpendicularly held to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg by the base locking mechanism.
11. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- wherein the base plate is in a collapsed configuration;
- the base plate assembly further comprises a base locking mechanism;
- the base locking mechanism being mechanically integrated into the hinged connection between the base plate and the left base mount and the right base mount; and
- the base plate being adjacent and parallel to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg.
12. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- each of the plurality of adjustable straps comprises a left strap, a right strap, and a locking mechanism;
- the left strap attached adjacent to the left telescoping leg;
- the right strap attached adjacent to the right telescoping leg; and
- the left strap and the right strap being selectively coupled to each other by the locking mechanism.
13. A luggage mountable hand truck comprises:
- a left telescoping leg;
- a right telescoping leg;
- a stabilizing bar;
- a handle;
- a back plate assembly;
- a base plate assembly;
- a plurality of adjustable straps;
- the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg being parallel and offset from each other;
- the stabilizing bar being perpendicularly connected in between the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg;
- the handle being perpendicularly connected in between the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg;
- the back plate assembly comprises a back plate, a left plate mount, and a right plate mount;
- the left plate mount being attached to the left telescoping leg;
- the right plate mount being attached to the right telescoping leg;
- the back plate hingedly connected to both the left plate mount and the right plate mount;
- the base plate assembly comprises a base plate, a left base mount, and a right base mount;
- the left base mount being connected to the left telescoping leg;
- the right base mount being connected to the right telescoping leg;
- the base plate being hingedly connected to both the left base mount and the right base mount;
- the left base mount and the handle being positioned opposite of each other along the left telescoping leg;
- the stabilizing bar being positioned in between the left base mount and the handle;
- the left back plate mount being positioned in between the handle and the stabilizing bar;
- the right base mount and the handle being positioned opposite of each other along the right telescoping leg;
- the stabilizing bar being positioned in between the right base mount and the handle; and
- the right back plate mount being positioned in between the handle and the stabilizing bar.
- each of the plurality of adjustable straps comprises a left strap, a right strap, and a locking mechanism;
- the left strap attached adjacent to the left telescoping leg;
- the right strap attached adjacent to the right telescoping leg; and
- the left strap and the right strap being selectively coupled to each other by the locking mechanism.
14. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 13 comprises:
- the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg each comprise an upper section, and a lower section;
- the upper section comprises an upper pin hole and a back stop;
- the lower section comprises a central channel, and a plurality of lower pin holes;
- the upper pin hole traversing perpendicularly through the upper section;
- the upper pin hole being aligned parallel to the handle;
- the back stop being positioned perpendicularly to the upper section, and adjacent to the back plate;
- the upper pin hole being offset from the back stop along the upper section;
- the central channel traversing into the lower section;
- the central channel being positioned along the lower section;
- the plurality of lower pin holes traversing through the lower section parallel to the stabilizing bar;
- the plurality of lower pin holes traversing through the lower section and the central channel;
- the plurality of lower pin holes being evenly distributed along the central channel;
- the upper section traversing into the central channel of the lower section; and
- a desired lower pin hole from the plurality of lower pin holes being aligned concentrically with the upper pin hole.
15. the luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 14 comprises:
- a left adjustment pin;
- a right adjustment pin;
- the left adjustment pin being positioned into the desired lower pin hole and the upper pin hole of the left telescoping leg; and
- the right adjustment pin being positioned into the desired lower pin hole and the upper pin hole of the left telescoping leg.
16. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 13 comprises:
- the left wheel assembly and the right wheel assembly each comprise a wheel and a wheel mount;
- the wheel rotatably mounted into the wheel mount;
- the wheel being positioned adjacent to the base plate;
- the wheel mount of the left wheel assembly being attached to the left base mount; and
- the wheel mount of the right wheel assembly being attached to the right base mount.
17. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 13 comprises:
- wherein the back plate is in a collapsed configuration;
- the back plate assembly further comprises a back locking assembly, a left back pin, and a right back pin;
- the left plate mount and the right plate mount being releasably engaged with the back plate by the locking assembly; and
- the back plate being adjacent and parallel to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg.
18. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 13 comprises:
- wherein the back plate is in a functional configuration;
- the back plate assembly further comprises a back locking assembly, a left back pin, and a right back pin;
- the back locking assembly being disengaged from the back plate;
- the back plate being perpendicular to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg; and
- the back plate being pressed against the back stop.
19. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 13 comprises:
- wherein the base plate is in a functional configuration;
- the base plate assembly further comprises a base locking mechanism;
- the base locking mechanism being mechanically integrated into the hinged connection between the base plate and the left base mount and the right base mount; and
- the base plate being perpendicularly held to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg by the base locking mechanism.
20. The luggage mountable hand truck as claimed in claim 13 comprises:
- wherein the base plate is in a collapsed configuration;
- the base plate assembly further comprises a base locking mechanism; and
- the base locking mechanism being mechanically integrated into the hinged connection between the base plate and the left base mount and the right base mount; and
- the base plate being adjacent and parallel to the left telescoping leg and the right telescoping leg.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 23, 2014
Publication Date: Jul 30, 2015
Inventor: Randy A. Avery (Port Orchard, WA)
Application Number: 14/311,602